Train travel to be costlier wef 01.04.2013

Travelling in trains will become costlier from Monday April 01,2013 as the hike in reservation, tatkal, cancellation fees and some other charges announced in the Railway Budget will come into effect.

• Reservation fee for AC classes will go up by Rs.15 to 25 per ticket while reservation fee for second and sleeper class will remain unchanged. 

• The supplementary charges for superfast trains have been increased by Rs.5 for second class and Rs.10 for sleeper class

• Tatkal charges have been increased by 10 % of the basic fare for second class and 30 per cent of basic fare for all other AC classes.

• In the reserved second class sitting, the minimum tatkal charges will be Rs.10 and maximum will be Rs.15. 

• Corresponding tatkal charges for sleeper class will be Rs.90 (minimum) and Rs.175 (maximum). For other classes, they will be: AC chair car - Rs.100 and Rs.200, AC-3 tier - Rs.250 and Rs.350), AC -2 tier - Rs.300 and Rs.400), executive class - Rs.300 and Rs.400

• Cancellation charges have been increased by Rs.10 per confirmed ticket in second class to Rs.50 in AC classes.

Indian Cricketers Vs Actors Charity Football Match

It was a star studded event at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as cricketers took on film actors in a charity football match.

Virat Kohli's charity organisation 'All heart football club' organized a celebrity football match between the Indian crickets and actors in Delhi

Abhishek Bachchan was the captain of the actor's team while Kohli headed the cricketers team.

The cricketers won the match by 4 goals while the actors team scored 3 goals

Manoj Tiwari celebrates after scoring a goal during a celebrity football match

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir,the first Indian Talkie film Actress

 

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir(1911-1990) was an Indian film actress, who was the First Talkie Actress of India, as she acted in first Indian talkie Alam Ara (1931). Her credits include early hits Devdas (1937), and played the lead in Sagar Movietone''s first talkie, Meri Jaan.

Originally from Surat, she is the daughter of Fatma Begum, she became a notable fim actress and India''s first woman film director and was the sister of actressess Shahzadi and Sultana. In the presence of seasoned actors like Prithviraj Kapoor and Master Vithal, Zubeida blossomed and wowed everyone with her singing, dancing and her speech.

Zubeida was one of Indian cinema''s earliest superstars and among the few girls who entered films at a time when it wasn''t considered an appropriate profession for girls from respectable families let alone Royalty. Born in Surat, Zubeida was a stunningly beautiful princess, the daughter of the Nawab of Sachin and Fatima Begum. Zubeida and her two sisters, Sultana and Shehzadi, egged on by their actress mother who was to become India''s first woman director, entered films at a very young age.

Zubeida was only 12 when she made her debut in Kohinoor. Through the 20s she made infrequent appearances on screen along with Sultana who by then had become one of our cinema''s loveliest leading ladies. One of the films to star the two sisters was ''Kalyan Khajina'' in 1924. They had also shared the screen in Zubeida''s first blockbuster, ''Veer Abhimanyu'' released two years earlier, that also had their mother, Fatima Begum playing an important role.

In 1925 Zubeida had nine releases amongst them ''Kala Chor'', ''Devdasi'' and ''Desh Ka Dushman''. A year later she starred in her mother''s film, ''Bulbul-e-Parista''. 1927 was memorable for her with ''Laila Majnu'', ''Nanand Bhojai'' and Naval Gandhi''s ''Sacrifice'' setting the cash counters jingling . The latter based on Rabindranath Tagore''s ''Balidaan'' starred Zubeida, Sulochana, Master Vithal and Jal Khambatta. It condemned the age-old custom of animal sacrifice in certain Kali temples in Bengal. The Members of the Indian Cinematograph Committee were wowed by this "excellent and truly Indian film". Its European members recommended that it be sent abroad for screening.

Zubeida starred in a string of silent films before India''s first talkie ''Alam Ara'' proved to be the turning point in her career and was her biggest hit. Along with ''Alam Ara'' came ''Meri Jaan'' and ''Veer Abhimanyu'' and Zubeida was suddenly hot property and one of the highest paid leading ladies around.

Through the 30s and early 40s she made a hit team with Jal Merchant and starred in several successful mythologicals playing characters like Subhadra, Uttara and Draupadi. She also made heads turn and hearts flutters with films like Ezra Mir''s Zarina which had her playing a vibrant, volatile circus girl whose kisses steamed up the screen and sparked off heated debate on censorship. Zubeida was one of the few actresses to make a successful transition from the silent era to the talkies.

Fatma Begum,first female film director of India

Born in an Urdu speaking family, Fatma Begum was related to Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III. She was the mother of Zubeida, Sultana and Shehzadi, who were popular actors of the silent era. She started working in films in 1922 after getting trained in plays. Fatma worked with filmmakers like Ardeshir Irani and Nanubhai Desai before founding her own production company Fatma Films which was later rechristened as Victoria-Fatma Films. 'Bulbule Paristan' that released in 1926, became the first Indian film to be directed by a female director.

 However, acting remained on her wish list and she continued to act till late 1930s

Pallavi Sachdeva(23)becomes possibly the youngest person to complete all the three professional accounting courses

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 A Delhi University commerce graduate, Pallavi Sachdeva admires ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar as a role model and has already got her dream job with an offer from international finance major, Barclays Plc.

Nurturing the ambition to make it big in the finance arena, a 23-year-old Delhi girl has qualified as chartered accountant, cost accountant, and also company secretary - becoming possibly the youngest person to complete all the three professional accounting courses

"Once you understand the subject, it will not be difficult," Sachdeva said when asked how tough it was to clear all the three courses - Chartered Accountancy, Cost & Works Accountancy and Company Secretaries - at such a young age. She has cleared her CA, CS and CWA courses from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), New Delhi the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), New Delhi, and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI), Kolkata, respectively.

Protest in Paris Against Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption -Sunday March 24,2013

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a final protest in Paris against a bill to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption.

Banners held up along the march route read: "We want work not gay marriage" and "No to gayxtremism".

There were scuffles and police fired tear gas as the protest spilled over onto the Champs Elysees, the avenue which runs past the president's palace.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls said there had been dozens of arrests.
France's Senate is due to debate the bill next month after it was passed by the lower house of parliament.
Opinion polls suggest a majority of French people still support gay marriage but their numbers have fallen in recent weeks.

Pervez Musharraf Returns To Pakistan -Sunday March 24,2013

Pervez Musharraf,the former president defied death threats when he flew into Karachi  on Sunday March 24,2013 amidst tight security and was immediately taken from the airport by a convoy of armed guards despite large crowds gathered to greet him

Speaking at the airport he said: “The people ordered me to come back and save Pakistan. I have placed my life in jeopardy but I have returned

Note

• Pervez Musharraf(DOB aug 11,1943)a Retired 4-star General and Politician who served as the 10th President of Pakistan during 2001-08

• On 3 November 2007 Musharraf declared Emergency Rule across Pakistan. He suspended the Constitution imposed State of Emergency

• General elections were held on 18 February 2008, in which the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) polled the highest votes and won the most seats

• On 22 March, the PPP named former parliament speaker Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani as its candidate for the country's next prime minister, to lead a coalition government

• On 7 August 2008, the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League(N) agreed to force Musharraf to step down and begin his impeachment.Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif announced sending a formal request or joint charge sheet that he step down, and impeach him through parliamentary process upon refusal.

• Pervez Musharraf refused to step down.

• On 18 August 2008, Pervez Musharraf resigned

• Pervez Musharraf has been in London since 24 November 2008 in self-imposed

• In June 2010,Pervez Musharraf launched his own political party -'All Pakistan Muslim League'

Ford Indian Car Ad Criticised

Car manufacturer Ford has been accused of undermining attempts to tackle violence against women in India with an advert showing three gagged and bound ladies in the back of a car.

The ad also appears to show a grinning Silvio Berlusconi, notorious for his "bunga bunga" sex parties, in the driver's seat of the Figo.

Indian ad agency, WPP, produced the image for Ford and uploaded it onto the internet last week. It has since been withdrawn.

Nach Baliye 5

Jay Bhanushali and Mahhi Vij won the fifth season of TV reality dance show 'Nach Baliye 5'

The winning jodi of 'Nach Baliye 5' was announced by the 3 judges - Shilpa Shetty, Terrence Lewis and Sajid Khan - after the finale week got nearly 50 lakh votes, taking the overall voting numbers to nearly two crore for the season.

The show began Dec 29, 2012 with 11 couples.The series was hosted by Karan Wahi and Gautam Rode

2013 Miss India

Navneet Kaur Dhillon won the Femina Miss India 2013 contest

Sobhita Dhulipala became the first runner up and

Zoya Afroz was adjudged the second runner up 

23 girls from different parts of India fought for the coveted award. This year's event was important as the competition was celebrating its 50th year

23 Miss India 2013 Contestants

1)Akshitaa Agnihotri CHANDIGARH
2)Anannya Sarmah MEGHALAYA
3)Anukriti Gusain UTTRAKHAND
4)Archita Sahu ORISSA
5)Apurva Lonkar MAHARASHTRA
6)Anushka Shah ANDHRA PRADESH
7)Gail Nicole Da Silva GOA
8)Khusboo Vaidya MAHARASHTRA
9)Lopamudra Raut MAHARASHTRA
10)Manasi Moghe MADHYA PRADESH
11)Navneet Kaur Dhillon Punjab
12)Panchami Rao ANDHRA PRADESH
13)Radhika Sharma UTTAR PRADESH
14)Sagarika Chhetri KOLKATA
15)Saniah Baig MAHARSHTRA
16)Sanjana D'souza GOA
17)Sobhita Dhulipala BANGALORE
18)Srishti Rana HARYANA
19)Sukanya Bhattacharya Bihar
20)Supriya Aiman  Bihar
21)Swati Kain Delhi
22)Vijaya Sharma Delhi
23)ZOYA AFROZ Lucknow

Karan Johar, John Abraham, Asin, Chitrangada Singh, Shiamak Davar, Ritu Kumar and Yuvraj Singh were the judges for the event

2013 Karnataka Assembly Elections

 

Assembly elections in Karnataka will be held on May 5, 2013 the Election Commission announced on March 20,2013 Election Commissioner VS Sampath said it will be a single-phase election and the counting of votes would take place on May 8,2013.

The elections for the 14th Karnataka Assembly is likely to be a 3-way contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress, and the JD(S).

Elections 2008 Results

RANK	PARTY	SEATS	%
1	BJP	110	33.86%
2	INC	80	34.76%
3	JD(S)	28	18.96%
4	IND	6	6.92%
5	BSP	0	2.74%
6	SP	0	0.93%

Total seats 224 | Majority 113

The forthcoming Assembly elections will see 7 former CM's, besides the incumbent, Jagadish Shettar, either as contestants or as campaigners. 

Barring J.H. Patel who is no more, all Chief Ministers who were in power since 1992 will be busy in the run-up to the elections. They are: M. Veerappa Moily, H.D. Deve Gowda, S.M. Krishna, N. Dharam Singh, H.D. Kumaraswamy, B.S. Yeddyurappa, D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar

  Incremental Voters for the 2013 Assembly Elections

The May five assembly elections in Karnataka would have 35,58,862 first time voters (18-22 age category), including 5,34,548 in the city, eligible to cast their ballot in the state, where there would be 52,034 polling stations, an official said. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha said the total electorate is 4,36,36,966, including 70,37,885 in Bangalore - 2,22,84050 male and 2,13,52,916 female. "Net addition of voters since January 28 is about 18 lakh, including six lakh in Bangalore", he said.

Congress Party Announces 177 Candidates -Friday April 5,2013

The Congress Party on Friday April 5,2013 announced candidates for 177 of the 224 constituencies, which includes the top leaders — Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G. Parameshwara (Koratagere-SC) and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah (Varuna)

A total of 41 former Ministers, four former Union Ministers, four former MPs and eight women, including actor Umashree and Karnataka Mahila Congress President Manjula Naidu. R (Rajajinagar), have found their names on the list.

Ruling BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday April 9,2013 released the second list of 35 candidates for the May 5 Assembly elections.The first list of 140 candidates was released on April 5,2013

CNN-IBN-The Week Survey

Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Chief Minsiter HD Kumaraswamy is the most preferred CM candidate, with 18 % people voting

Ex-BJP BS Yeddyurappa came a close second, garnering 10% votes

Congress leader Siddaramaiah was at number 3, gaining 9

Incumbent BJP Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar came last, with 6 % votes. 

Key Contestants in the  2013 Karnataka Assembly Elections

• Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar(BJP) contest from Hubli-Dharwad Central

• Deputy Chief Ministers K.S. Eshwarappa contest from Shimoga and R. Ashok, from Padmanabhanagar in Bangalore

• State Congress chief G. Parameshwara, from Koratagere in Tumkur and Siddaramaiah, from Varuna in Mysore (Both are chief ministerial aspirants)

• Former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy contest from Ramanangaram
• KJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa contest from Shikaripura in Shimoga
• Actor Ambareesh (Congress) contest from Mandya in Mandya district 

2013 Karnataka Assembly Elections Polling Day -  May 05,2013

 

Karnataka recorded the second highest voter turnout in 35 years with 71.29% voting in the May05,2013 Assembly polls, a top electoral officer said. The highest voter turnout of 71.90 % was registered in 1978. In the last elections, the state had recorded 64.78 % voter turnout.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha said since the 1994 assembly polls, there had been a significant drop in the percentage of voter turnout till the last elections held in 2008.
"Karnataka registered 71.29 % voter turnout in the May 5,2013 assembly polls. In the last elections, the state had recorded 64.78 % voter turnout. This is quite a significant percentage jump over last elections," Jha said.

 

All thirty districts, except Mysore, have recorded improved voter turnout compared to the last elections

The highest voter turnout was recorded in Chikkaballapur district with 83.50 %and the lowest in Bangalore Urban district at 57.58 %

In the 1994 elections, the state had recorded 68.59 % voter turnout and in the 1999 polls, it was 67.65 %In 2004, 65.17 %voter turnout was recorded 

Pre-poll surveys and exit polls have forecast a victory for Congress aided by the presence of Karnataka Janatha Paksha led by former BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa who has made no bones about his intention to "decimate" BJP.

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In a first in 600 years, two popes to meet over lunch -Saturday March 23,2013

Pope Francis flew in to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo in the Alban Hills by helicopter on Saturday March 23,2013 where Pope Benedict XVI has been living since he resigned on February 28, the first pope to step down in 600 years

The helicopter carrying Pope Francis, sitting next to left window, flies on its way to Castel Gandolfo Saturday, March 23, 2013. Crowds are beginning to gather in the central square of Castel Gandolfo to catch a glimpse of history: Two popes meeting for lunch and presumably discussing the future of the Catholic Church.

The Vatican said Pope Emeritus Benedict would be at the helipad in the villa gardens to welcome Pope Francis, and that the two would meet in the former's library and then lunch together.

Pope Francis will then return to his makeshift home at the Vatican hotel at an unspecified time later in the day

Upon arrival, the two went into the chapel to pray. In the chapel, the Pope emeritus offered the place of honour to Pope Francis, but he said: "We are brothers," and he insisted they knelt together at the same table, a Vatican spokesman said.

Francis also brought a gift to Benedict, an icon of the Madonna, and told him that it's known as the "Madonna of Humility."

The meeting lasted just over two hours, and included a 15 minute prayer session, followed by a private meeting in the Pope emeritus' library, and a lunch with advisors